“Seika, how are you doing at school?”

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“Perfectly fine, Mother.”

​

“Is that so? Very well, my child.” Her mother smiles in pleasure. She takes her porcelain cup of green tea and lifts it to her lips before sipping its content mannerly behind a broad colourful sleeve of her kimono.

​

The middle-aged woman sits in a perfect seiza posture with her back straight and shoulders do not slump in front of a Japanese traditional tea table, so does Seika Suzukami across from her. They are in an old-fashioned tatami room, where Seika is taught tea ceremony, calligraphy and many other traditions passed down from generations to generations in a Japanese family, especially an infamous clan in the past - influential, wealthy, and such. Only in the past, though.

​

“Seika,” Mrs. Suzukami puts down her tea and again calls out to her beloved daughter.

​

“Yes, Mother?” Seika never turns her ruby gaze away from her own green liquid in hands which has already cold, and her splendid smile never leaves her charming face.

 

“Be not bothered about expenses, all of your concern must be put in qualifying yourself as an admirable person in society. I expect you shall make our clan be proud.”

 

“Yes, Mother.” Replies Seika with that same smile of deception. Too fake to be real, and yet too real to be seen through. She traces the brim of the earthy brown cup for seconds before decides to put it back on its plate after holding it for too long. “May I excuse myself, Mother?”

 

Mrs. Suzukami takes her time in responding such irrelevant piece of information. “Your father will not be home in few days, so there are only you and me.”

​

Seika drops her smile, slightly, for once and extremely briefly that it looks like a trick of light. “...I see.”

 

The heavy silence is always dominating this house, even between conversations, since this supposed to be for a big family place is occupied by only three members of a used to be noble clan. Something happened and the Suzukami clan broke down, its people left and refused to be part of such a pitiful downfall, but her father - the only heritable person left who takes pride in his family’s history - wants to keep his name and live with it as it was the last wish Seika’s grandfather had whispered to him in his last breath.

 

The current head of Suzukami clan works really hard, and his wife also has an enormous role in helping maintaining this dying clan. That it does survive until today is a safe proof of their effort, and Seika honestly admires them for all they have done. She appreciates having them as her parents, she feels grateful for all the lessons they’ve taught her. However…

 

“You may leave,” her mother gentle voice breaks Seika from her trance. “Do not stay up too late, will you?”

 

This small talk does not lack of love and understanding, really, but the pressure she cannot ignore. The air suddenly becomes more stifling, and she doesn’t realize how badly she is in need of oxygen.

 

“Of course, Mother,” Seika smiles grows bigger and more genuine as she stands up. “You also need an early rest.”

 

With a small nod from her mother, she bows to leave and goes straight to her room where she can enjoy her solitude. Her footsteps are light and almost soundless on the wooden floor, though a few steps produce creaks that echo in the quietness. A slide door being opened big enough for Seika to enter and immediately closes behind her with a soft click.

 

Fragrance of books and leads along with thick smell of water colours spill her nostrils and she consciously draws in a deep, deep breath which awakes her inner self. A big soulful smile that reaches her beautiful pale ruby orbs appears as she looks at her latest piece of artwork resting besides a carefully arranged pile of letters.

 

She is back.  

 

This is her home.

​

 

 

Seika’s highschool is an eminent one, renowned for educating only high social class in academic and mannerism and its accomplishments are undeniably remarkable. Here exist many princes and princesses, but not every of them are worthy enough. Not that she cares about it, though, since her presence here is due to a scholarship and the honour of her family name. Most of her schoolmates didn’t accept her at first, understandable, yes, but there are few now. The teachers have hope in her, and she somehow earns people’s respect, which is excellent for the sake of pleasing her Father and Mother

 

She comes to this school only to play her expected perfect lady role, lives a life for her parents. And sometimes she envies of those who are confident and free in expressing their true self. Her friends are all wonderful, and they tell that she is the most wonderful one. She usually smiles in reply, thanks them, but her heart aches and her mind screams.

 

They don’t know me, not at all… It is because all they see is my lady front.

 

Seika doesn’t blame them. Nor her parents. Neither her clan. She blames no one but only accepts.

 

She picks up her book and sneaks away during lunch time, to her favourite peaceful place. Having picked up a bad habit of skipping lunch, she always walks to the school’s garden and sits under an old tree’s vast foliage in the corner area where nobody would bother her time. There are days she brings drawing tools to finish a painting, there are days she spends time in imaginary worlds of novels, and there are days she sits silently listening to the wind and the bird. She likes it there, being alone and momentarily leaves the tedious reality.

 

Today is no difference. However, as she reaches the area, Seika hears unintelligible voices and sees two girls have already there chatting happily about something. One of them is Mare Mourre, if she isn’t mistaken, a natural beauty with special hair color - lively green, and an amazing person for her bright personality - a sun that shines happiness upon everyone around her. The other girl Seika doesn’t recognize, though she looks strangely so much like… What is his name again? Lumi… Lumioce something… Yes, Lumioce Ravi, a cute, gentle prince that some of Seika’s classmates keep babbling about and Seika herself sometimes sees him being chased by his won fangirls across the campus. Poor guy. She wonders if the boy has a sister, but immediately pushes that thought away since it isn’t of her concern.

 

Her place is taken and she has to find somewhere else to continue reading her book. Maybe the biology room is vacant for the time being, so she turns and leaves, giving those two girls little of her mind. The story is coming to an end with twists and turns of unexpected events and she can’t wait to reach its conclusion today, and also, to distract herself away from a nagging longing sense.

 

She is looking forward to receiving a certain letter.

 

She always does.

​

​

 

“Are you sure you don’t want to join us, Suzukami?” A pretty girl asks her, she is one of Seika’s friends at school.

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“Thanks for your invitation, but I’m fine.” Seika says, small smile stays on her pink lips.

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“Well, then.” Her friend shrugs defeatedly, she should have known by now that Seika will never take part in any kind of after-school activities whether it is a club’s or a group of friend’s. “We’ll off. See you tomorrow.”

 

“See you.” Seika waves her friends goodbye as they exit the classroom, enter the crowded corridor leading to the front entrance. She stays and waits until there is only her left in this building, bathing under the yellowish orange light spilling in through the glass windows. It is boring, indeed, but she finds the sunset from this view she has is fascinating enough to keep her still. “Magnificent, isn’t it? Ah, if I can have a photograph of this, they will love it....” She mumbles to herself, wishing a usual wish.

 

But she can draw, quite talented to tell the truth, and she draws everything that piques her interest, and she sometimes sends some of her pieces along with her letters. In turn, she receives dry roses, origamis, some small but precious accessories and stories that her limited amount of books can’t tell her.

 

It is getting late, she should goes home now or her Mother will be worried. And Seika swings on her school-bag and leaves the place.

 

It is quite a long way to Suzukami’s residence from school, usually it takes her forty to fifty minutes walking home. She doesn’t mind, having used to travel on foot or sometimes train when she needs to go somewhere too far. Also, she can watch the bustling life around her, people her age having their fun time, couples hand in hand, busy men and women rushing to their own business. Everyone is having their lives, either it is chosen by their own will or decided by other people, they live and proceed. Like her.

 

Seika passes a main street and turns around the corner, into a smaller road. Her eyes catch the image of a group of five standing on the other side of the way, gathering in front of a bookshop which she realizes to be the place she occasionally pays a visit when she has enough money for a new book. Before she even knows, she has stopped mid-way and her gaze cannot tear away from them, especially that girl with incredibly long silvery hair (similar to her pale white one) that swirls at the tails.

 

She’s so beautiful… Seika amazes. And elegant nobleness is evident in the air around her.

 

But Seika never sees that girl at her school.

 

The girl’s friends are notable, too, outstanding in their own unique way. Probably that is the reason Seika can’t look away, they give her a sense of admiration at the very first sight, which is rare. She doesn’t one easily be impressed.

 

There’s a dark-haired guy, tall and suitable for the definition of handsome, ruffling his quite long and messy hair. There’s a petite girl whose gray hair has green highlights crossing her arms boringly. There are even twins, a boy and a girl, younger than the rest with chestnut brown hair, and the boy is arguing, maybe, with his sister.

 

The five of them sure make a weird group, but then again, they are captivating in a way Seika cannot put into words. She notices the way the young boy of the twins looks at his sister, the way he smiles at her and pats gently on her head are all so warm and genial that she imagines being able to sense the love. She wonders how it feels to be cared for in such an emotional way, not that her parents don’t care, but she remembers little or nothing about the warmth.

 

He then turns to talk to the beautiful, elegant girl (lady, mistress? Using “girl” for her isn’t so sufficient) and she barely opens her mouth to reply him something. And, to Seika’s unexpectation, he glances her way and smiles warmly at her, directly at her. He looks like a junior to her, and a person no less (not a character from books or comics or her own imagination), but dear God, she suddenly hears her own heartbeat and she feels so lost in that moment. What does that smile mean? Why it is as if something has been lifted off her body and her expected-to-be front cover shatters?

 

In that moment, a single thought, an unprecedented one, crosses her mind. I am living my own life, not my parents’…

 

Seika goes home after that, just runs away as the boy’s dark brown eyes haunts her mind and his smile is trying to tell her something. High chance everything that happened was her delusion, she knows, but unable to do anything with that.

 

For the first time she forgets to check her mailbox for any letter.

​

​

 

Seika stretches her tired body. Hours has passed and it’s near midnight, her mountainous homeworks have been done. Won’t it be nice to have a good sleep now, but she can’t, not until she finally has time to read her recently received letter. She takes the letter that has been displaying in front of her, acting as an encouragement whenever she was about to collapse under the strenuous and boring lessons and difficult questions, school stuff in general, and draws in a deep breath as she traces her finger at a decorative rose and candy sticker. Her orbs glint happiness at the names written in the sender section: Amelia and Emilia Evanora.

 

Her only true friends despite they have only corresponded in letters over the last few years. Two years, it seems. They exchange letters on regular basis, telling others details of their lives and every of the letters the Evanora sent her, Seika keeps them securely in her locked box.

 

She loves the Evanora girls: Amelia’s childish but cute expressions phrases, Emilia’s neat handwriting that tells her personality, their lovely gifts, their wondrous stories taking from books that Emilia reads or Amelia’s wild imagination. Seika would love to meet them in person, but for now, these letters are more than enough.

 

“Live your life when you have your chance! Why bother being someone else that isn’t you?”

 

“Ame’s right, you can figure out a way to be yourself and still be your family’s pride. I know you can do it, Seika.”

 

Seika smiles at the words.

 

“And that boy you told us about, have you seen him again by any chance? Rarely you give your attention to a random boy, so it’s kinda cool! You give me and Emi a surprise~ Remember to tell me, oh, us if there’s something else, okay?”

 

“Maybe it is love at first sight? Teehee, I’m just kidding. But, I wonder if you realize, Seika, that he somehow knew that you’re badly in need of a genuinely gentle smile, and when he did just that, he changed you.”

 

She giggles at Amelia’s part, but can’t help to be confused by Emilia. What does she mean? And how can she says just like she was there with Seika at the time she saw that boy and his group?

 

“And the last thing we want to tell you,” from this part of the letter, Emilia takes over the writing. “when our parents come home today, there’s a young lady follows them inside. I don’t know but she somehow is a match with your description of that elegant silvery hair girl you’d seen. Ame thinks it is impossible, and she has her point. However… Uhm… I really don’t know. Anyway, the girl’s name is Yukina Tenshizora, have you heard of the name? She tells us that she runs an orphanage somewhere in the rural area and asks if we want to be there. Obviously my parents disagree, and their conservation hasn’t yet come to an end. Her offer sounds so wonderful, and Ame has been so happy over it. I am, too, can you imagine it when you can finally see the light at the end of a deep dark tunnel? I believe you do.

 

We’ll continue writing you about this matter, and we hope to hear more from you also.

 

With love,

Emilia Evanora

Amelia Evanora.”

 

And besides their names is a heart symbol coloured red and a pretty flower which Seika believes has been drawn by Amelia. She can’t stop herself from grabbing a pen and starting scribbling a returning letter, telling how thankful she is for their advices and how happy she feels for them having an opportunity like that. She writes a lot other than that, asks a lot, and recites a lot. And when she signs her name, the sky outside her window has started litting up.

 

Her mind buzzes. When will her chance come?

 

She will wait, no, she will work towards it. And these letters will be her company. Her strength.

 

Her precious treasure.